The Difference Between Friends and Lovers
by What Love Is
Summary: Ino is helping Hinata get Naruto, but Sakura soon becomes jealous of the time Hinata is spending with her best friend. High school AU. NaruHina - InoSaku
1. Chapter 1

Ino and Hinata sat across from each other at the lunch table. Ino's jaw dropped, her eyes wide with shock and confusion. Hinata blushed, stared across at her hopefully. Their eyes met, and Ino's expression changed. Both her eyebrows raised, the corners of her mouth shifting to form a grin, and her eyes lighting up.

"Of course I'll help you, Hinata!" she yelled, her hands together.

"Y-You will? Thank you, Yamanaka-san!" The Hyuuga smiled, laughing quietly.

"You wanna get Naruto, right? Well, if you want a guy you've come to the right place, Hinata. Hey, how about we start this tomorrow lunch break in the library, and for now I just give you some tips?" asked the blonde, leaning over the table.

"Well, that would be okay," answered the shorter girl.

"Right. So, for now, just go up to him and say, 'hi, how are you doing Naruto?' That oughta be a good start! And tomorrow before coming to the library, eat lunch at his table," laughed Ino, standing up. "And remember, Hinata - have confidence!"

Hinata watched as Ino walked out of the lunch room. "Um... right. Confidence."

The blue haired girl stood up, leaving the lunch hall and into the hallways. Naruto was stood at his locker, talking to Gaara, Lee, Neji and Kiba. She blushed and gulped, before walking towards him. _Confidence._

"U-um, Naruto?" she said, tapping him on the shoulder. He turned around and smiled.

"Yeah? Oh, it's you, Hinata," he said with a grin.

"Eek! I-I mean... hi! How are you, N-Naruto?" The girl was not very confident, but at least she could act like she was. Not that it looked like real confidence anyway.

"Oh, hey. I'm great! And what about you?" Naruto always spoke loudly.

"I'm fine," she answered with a blush. "Anyway... see you, Naruto!" She ran off down the corridor as the bell rang.

"Hinata, class is this way!" yelled the blonde.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto sat at the lunch table with Kiba, Gaara, Neji and Lee. He grinned. "Can you guys believe Hinata? She just came up, said hi and ran the wrong way when it was time to go to class yesterday!" he laughed. "What's her problem anyway?"

"She likes you," answered Kiba, stretching. "Trust me, I know Hinata. She likes you _a lot_."

"No way!" said the blonde. "I doubt it! She's probably one of those Sasuke chicks."

Hinata stood at the door, blushing. _Naruto..._ She gulped and walked up to the table, sitting down and putting her lunch in front of her. "Can I sit with you guys?"

"Sure, Hinata!" Kiba replied with a big smile.

"Hey, guys, notice how Sakura's never at lunch? I wonder why that is," remarked Naruto, a confused look on his face. "She has to eat, right?"

"Most of the people at this school are really rich. Maybe Sakura can't afford this school's lunches. My parents own a big dog breeding house and animal shelter, Gaara's got his position as head of his family's company, Hinata's dad and Neji's uncle owns a big optician, the Uchiha boy has a lot of inheritance, and..." Kiba looked at Naruto for a second, then looked away. "I'm ranting. Let's eat."

"W-Well, um... Sakura brings a packed lunch and eats it in the library," Hinata said, attempting to be part of the conversation. "Kiba, why did you stop when you looked at Naruto?"

"Wait, you mean you don't know?!" yelled Kiba, his eyes widening. "Naruto's an only child and an orphan. The only Uzumaki left, I think."

"Oh... I... S-Sorry." Hinata finished her lunch quickly.

She ran up to the library where Ino was sitting at a table, reading a book. She sat beside the blonde.

"Ino? You like reading?" she said, tilting her head.

"Sure, Hinata!" Ino wrapped an arm around Hinata, laughing and putting the book down. "I love to read! Especially romance and fairy-tales! What kind of book do you like, Hinata?"

Hinata smiled. "Horrors, angsts, hurt and comforts, action, romance, fantasy... I like a lot."

"Cool. So, on to the topic of Naruto... He's a super-huge pervert, Hinata. Wear a shorter skirt, maybe just under the thigh, and unbutton your collar a bit," Ino said with a smile. "Then, trip over when you're near him and let him see up your skirt. It'll work, Hinata, trust me!"

"O-OK."

Sakura climbed up a ladder to put a book back on the shelf, until she heard Ino's voice. _Why is Ino in the library?_ She looked over her shoulder, to see Ino sat next to Hinata and jumped, causing the ladder to wobble. She fell off and landed on her back, confused. _Why is Ino with HINATA in the library?_ She could barely hear them, but she listened for the next few lines.

"Hey, Hinata, the library's always really crowded and lunches, and we don't have much time. How about we meet here after school for a few hours instead?" asked Ino, standing up.

"O-OK, Ino, I appreciate it."

Ino patted Hinata on the back. "See you after school, chica!"

Sakura stood up while Ino left, walking up to Hinata. "So you and Ino are great friends now? Have to say I never thought I'd see you two as friends. You're opposites."

"Well, we have some similarities and things we both like... stuff like books. Anyway, I should be getting to class." Hinata walked away, this time in the correct direction.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Hinata showed up to school in a short skirt, with her collar unbuttoned to show a lot of her chest.

_How embarrassing. But... if it helps me get Naruto, I guess I can do it..._ She blushed and walked up to beside Naruto and his friends. "N-Naruto, hello... And Kiba, Neji, Gaara, Lee." Her face deeply reddened.

"Oh, hey, Hinata," said Naruto. "You look weird. You changed how you wear the uniform, right?"

"Eh? No, not at all," she answered, turning around. "I guess I'll be going then."

As she walked, she tripped on Kiba's bag he had left carelessly on the floor and banged her head on the ground, her skirt flying up as she tripped. "Wa-waah!" she yelled.

Kiba started laughing very loudly. "Hinata? You okay?" she heard in Naruto's voice. "Why are you always so clumsy?" She noticed the plan to let him see up her skirt wasn't working, just earning laughs from Kiba.

"Dude, Hinata! Try wearing a longer skirt!" chuckled Kiba.

Hinata rushed away, hiding behind the lockers.

Neji raised his hand. "Something not right is going on. I suggest a group conference in the library after lunch about this."

"Right," said the other boys, raising their hands.

Sakura walked up to Hinata, smiling. "Hey, Hinata. Where's Ino?"

"I-I don't know, Sakura," said Hinata, smiling.

"Oh, okay. I just wanted to say I saw you in the library and I figured we could use some help alphabetising the recently returned books." Sakura smiled. "So could you help us? By us I mean the library pupil-staff."

"Um... I guess, Sakura. What time?" replied Hinata, scratching her head.

"Today after school. Come to the library, okay? Thanks, Hinata, you're the best!" Sakura shook Hinata's hand and walked away.

"Uh-OK."

Sakura smiled and walked the other way.

"Hey, Ino!" she yelled with a smile.

"Sakura? Oh, hey," said Ino, searching through her locker. "Stupid notebook! Where is it?!"

"So, Ino... I heard you like books. How come you never told me?" asked Sakura.

"Eh? Who said that?"

"Hinata. Anyway, if you like books, maybe you could borrow a few from the library or join the library pupil-staff?" suggested the pink-haired girl, laughing.

"There's a pupil-staff?"

"Yeah. We choose our own shifts, either after lunch, after school or both. There's a little bit of pay if you work hard enough and it's kinda like a job. We order in new books, sell old ones and organize the bookshelves. It's also part of our job to read books out to people. Our school library is also a public one so there'll be people of all ages." The girl patted Ino on the back. "Sometimes we do bake sales to raise the library's funds. What do you say to trying it after school?"

"Well, thanks I guess, but," Ino started.

"No need to thank me! I'll see you there!"


	4. Chapter 4

The boys sat around a table at lunch after eating in the library, Neji stood up at the end of the table with Gaara sat at the other end.

"Let the group conference begin." He coughed, pulling a presentation board with a picture of Hinata on it to his side. "What do we know about lady Hinata?"

"She's shy," said Naruto, Neji writing it next to the picture.

"Hinata is very modest and youthful, and likes to wear loose fitting clothes," suggested Lee, as the male Hyuuga wrote the traits on the board.

"Hinata'd never come near her oh-so-secret crush, Naruto!" yelled Kiba.

"You are all correct. But recently, lady Hinata's behaviour has changed. First, she comes up to us and talks without twitching at all, then she eats lunch sitting next to Naruto without seeming nervous, and earlier today lady Hinata wore very unacceptable and revealing clothing, with a short skirt despite her tendency to trip up," Neji said, pulling the presentation board over to show three large words. They were 'boyfriend' on the left, 'hormones' in the middle and 'dissociative identity disorder' on the right. "Pick one. We will have another conference here tomorrow, the same time. Take a snip of paper to write your vote on and put it in this bucket."

Neji even voted. He was first to put a piece of paper in. After that Kiba put his in, Lee put his in, next came Naruto and then Gaara.


End file.
